Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, World's second-largest stadium

Welcome to Sportmob's Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium! A multi-purpose stadium on Rungra Island in Pyongyang, North Korea, with a total surface area of 20.7 hectares (51 acres), the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is the largest in the country. It officially opened on May 1, 1989, with the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students serving as the first major event.

When the re-estimated number of seats in 2014 is taken into account, it is the second-largest stadium in the world by seating capacity behind India's Narendra Modi Stadium, and it is the largest stadium in the world when the official seating capacity is taken into account.

As part of the rivalry between the two countries, North Korea's national stadium was erected in reaction to Seoul's

. Construction took 2.5 years, which was rather short given the enormity of the structure. When it first opened, its capacity was set at 150,000, making it the largest in the world. The inaugural ceremony took held on May Day, the day before the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students.

The roof of the stadium is the most remarkable feature of the structure. If official data is true, it will cover 94,000 square meters, which is twice the size of the previous record-holder King Fahd Stadium in Riyadh. The outer sheets are supported by 11,000 pounds of steel, making 16 petal-shaped pieces. They are 60 meters long within the stadium and 40 meters long outside. The total structure stands 60 meters tall. Of course, this is not the whole story! So let's dive into our

Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

.

Here we go! Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

Right before we start our top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, we will dive into some quick facts about this mysterious stadium. This information can help us understand the story better and find out all the untold facts we are looking for.

• Full name

  : The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium Pyongyang

• Former name

  : Rungrado May Day Stadium

• Location

  : Rungra Island, Pyongyang, North Korea

• Capacity

  : 114,000

• Field size

  : Main pitch – 22,500 m2_ Total floor space over 207,000 m2

• Surface

  : Artificial turf

• Built

  :1986–1989

• Opened

  : 1 May 1989

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium origin

Let's start our

Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

with its origin story. Following Seoul's selection as the host city for the 1988 Summer Olympics, North Korea increased its efforts to portray itself as the rightful state of South Korea. As part of these efforts, the North Korean government was successful in its proposal to host the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students in Pyongyang in 1989.

Several large-scale construction projects were launched in preparation for the event, the most notable of which was the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium. At the time of its completion, it was the largest stadium ever constructed in the Asia Pacific region.

The stadium, which hosts sporting events on a regular basis, is also the scene of large-scale performances and exhibitions honoring President Kim Il-sung and the North Korean country. It was the site of the massive Arirang Festival gymnastic and artistic performance, which took place between June and July 2002.

The event drew more than 100,000 participants and was open to people from all over the world. These performances are now a yearly tradition in Pyongyang, with most of them taking place in August and September. With 100,090 participants, the event was acknowledged by the Guinness Book of Records in 2007 as the largest gymnastics display in history, according to the book.

Collision in Korea, the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event in history, took place on April 28-29, 1995, at Rungrado Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. According to the municipal authorities, 150,000 and 190,000 people attended the events, respectively.

The stadium reopened in 2015 after undergoing a two-year refurbishment project. In July 2017, the Rungrado Stadium was the site of six group stage matches as part of the qualification process for the 2018 AFC U-23 Championship.

The inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang in September 2018 featured a speech by President Moon Jae-in of South Korea, who shared the stage with Chairman Kim Jong-un in front of 150,000 North Korean fans. The topics of unification, peace, and collaboration are addressed in the speech.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea, Kim Jong-un received Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to a special Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic performance titled "Invincible Socialism" in July 2019.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium Design

Ok! Now, in this part of Sportmob's Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, we will talk about its design. The scalloped top of the stadium is made up of 16 arches that are grouped in a ring, and it is meant to mimic a magnolia blossom. It offers events on the main pitch with a surface area of 22,500 m2 (242,000 sq ft).

The building's entire floor space is more than 207,000 m2 (2,230,000 sq ft) spread across eight floors, and the lobes of its roof rise more than 60 m (200 ft) above the surrounding landscape. The stadium's initial capacity was 150,000 people, according to the official capacity list.

Following a 2014 renovation that included the replacement of some bench seating with individual seats, observers anticipated that the new capacity would be roughly 114,000 people, according to reports.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is multi purpose

When we think of North Korea, we normally think of negative things. The citizens of this country are virtually cut off from the rest of the world and have little knowledge of what is going on in the outside world. However, this does not imply that nothing ever happens there.

Every year, the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium holds a variety of events, most notably football or soccer matches in nine different nations, athletic competitions, and mass activities. To cite one negative aspect, it is likely that it is also utilized as a staging area for mass executions, although little is known about this publicly.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, The largest stadium in the world?

This part of our Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, is very interesting! According to some accounts, the stadium has a seating capacity of approximately 150,000 people. The stadium can accommodate 114,000 people, according to a more reliable and reasonable assessment.

In spite of this, the stadium will have 4,000 more seats than the Motera Stadium in India and over 7,000 more seats than Michigan Stadium in the United States. A river island in the midst of the Taedong River, which passes through Seoul, is home to the stadium, which is known as Rungra Island. Approximately 1.3 square kilometers (0.50 square miles) of the land area is covered by the island.

The stadium itself has a total surface area of 207,000 square meters (2,230,000 square feet) and a pitch area of 22,500 square meters (242,000 square feet). It has a capacity of 60,000 spectators.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium name

The Kim Il Sung Stadium hosts the majority of football matches, however, the May Day Stadium has been known to host a few, as well as the occasional athletics event or another sporting event. Football is played in North Korea depending on how significant the match is deemed to be at the time.

If you ever have the opportunity to watch football at the 1st May Stadium, do not pass it up. In terms of atmosphere, no other stadium in Pyongyang can even come close to this one. The May Day Stadium, Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, and Rungrado May Day Stadium are all names that you will hear used to refer to the same stadium.

The stadium's official name is The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, and it was built in the year 2000. May Day is International Workers' Day, which is still a big celebration in many socialist nations, both present and former, to this day. The May Day Stadium is the name given to it by locals just because it is on May Day. May 1st and May Day are generally synonymous with one another. As a result, if you see the terms used interchangeably, that is the reason.

The events held in Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

The one fact in our Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium that can blow your mind is right here! The stadium not only holds football matches and athletics competitions, but it is also the site of the world-famous Mass Games, which are staged to commemorate former North Korean leader Kim II-sung and the North Korean people.

It was the site of the spectacular and precisely prepared "Arirang" gymnastic and artistic performances that took place between June and July 2002. These kinds of games are referred to as "mass games" in some circles. More than one lakh people took part in the spectacular, which was more than double the number of people who came to watch.

Organizers of these concerts in Pyongyang have made them an annual event, with the majority of them taking place around the months of August and September. These events have been recognized as the largest in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.

Additionally, the stadium was the site of "Collision in Korea," which was the largest professional wrestling pay-per-view event in history. WCW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, two of the most powerful professional wrestling organizations in the world, collaborated on the production. A total of 150,000 and 190,000 people attended the event on April 28 and 29, 1995, setting a new record for attendance for a single event.

In addition, the stadium is now the largest football stadium on the planet, hosting the World Cup. It has witnessed a large number of football matches with the North Korean national team. Watch this video of a World Cup qualifying match between North Korea and Iran, which took place at this stadium in 2009. The mood inside this massive cauldron is quite amazing to witness.

Rungrado 1st of May Stadium uses in recent years

The stadium is now utilized for sporting events such as football matches and athletics competitions, among others. However, the Arirang festival, also known as the North Korean Mass Games, continues to be its primary application. These mass games are awe-inspiring spectacles that commemorate and showcase North Korea's history and achievements, among other things.

The Arirang Mass Games were a large-scale artistic performance and festival that took place across the country. When it was first held in 2002–2005, the Arirang Mass Games were hosted in the May Day Stadium from August through October, and then again from 2007–2013, they were held in the May Day Stadium from August until October.

This astonishing display of gymnastics, acrobatics, and dance involved more than 100,000 people and drew viewers from all over the world, making it the largest and most intricate human performance ever staged on the planet.

Another feature that is well-known is the big moving picture in the background, which is made up of hundreds of people holding up color cards and changing them all at the same time. The performances at the Mass Games were also entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest performance.

Transportation

Getting to the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium will be one of the most difficult aspects of experiencing it. Because North Korea has a very repressive dictatorship that restricts many visitors' freedom, it can be difficult for visiting supporters from other areas of the world to get to the stadium by car.

However, it is still accessible by bus and vehicle, with the former being more extensively used by the various state-run tours. In contrast to many other areas where the stadium is preserved outside of the city center, Rungrado 1st of May Stadium is located in the heart of the city.

Because it is located on the Rungra island, it is surrounded by water on all sides. The Taedonggang River may be seen from the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium. The actual number of parking spaces available at the stadium is unknown, although the majority of the 150,000 people who may attend are likely to take public transportation.

Even though there are multiple methods to get to the May Day stadium, the best option will be to take one of the many excursions that are offered. Many of these excursions will be able to include a taste of North Korea and its different attractions.

There are also stand-alone tours available. The package will take care of the travel and accommodations in this situation. If spectators prefer to interact with the ground directly, the subway provides adequate connectivity. The Jonsung and Kaeson stations are located near the surface.

Fans may have to walk 5 kilometers from Kaeson Station to the ground. The Jonsung station is also within striking distance. At the end of the day, traveling to Pyongyang can be far more difficult than going to the stadium itself from the city center.

Untold Facts about May Day stadium

The stadium has a market value of USD $210 million. It is one of the most significant construction projects in the world. Construction of the Rungrado May Day Stadium cost a total of USD $210 million, and the stadium is owned by the North Korean government.

It is located on Rungra Island in Pyongyang, North Korea. It is a multi-purpose stadium that hosts various events throughout the year. The building's construction began in 1986 and was finished in 1989. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium Pyongyang is the full name of the venue.

The Rungrado Stadium hosted its maiden event, the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students, which took place in June of this year. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 60,000, is the largest stadium in the world in terms of area, occupying 20.7 hectares.

The scalloped top of the stadium is made up of 16 arches that are grouped in a ring, and it is meant to mimic a magnolia blossom. In 2007, there was a Gymnastics competition in which 100,090 people took part, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest number of participants. Rungrado May Stadium in Pyongyang hosted a speech by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un in front of 150,000 North Korean spectators.

On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and North Korea, Kim Jong-un received Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping to a special Grand Mass Gymnastics and Artistic performance titled "Invincible Socialism" in July 2019. Thanks for reading Sportmob's

Top facts about Rungrado 1st of May Stadium

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